Sourdough Focaccia with Garlic Confit: Crispy, Airy, Worth Every Hour
I kept seeing long-fermented focaccia all over my feed last winter — bakers pulling these impossibly bubbly, golden slabs out of cast iron pans and I thought: that cannot be as easy as it looks. So I made my sourdough starter pull double duty and tested this back-to-back three weekends in a row. Here’s the thing though — the garlic confit nearly broke the whole recipe.
This recipe gives you a focaccia with a genuinely crispy, oil-fried base and an open, chewy crumb — using your sourdough starter as the only leavener. The hands-on time is under 15 minutes. The garlic confit melts into the dough as it bakes, giving you soft, jammy pockets of flavor in every slice. Overnight cold fermentation does the heavy lifting while you sleep.
Pro Tip
The mistake most home bakers make: they add the garlic confit straight from the jar while it’s still cold and wet with oil, which steams instead of caramelizes during baking. The fix is to drain the confit cloves on a paper towel for 10 minutes before topping, then press each one gently into its own dimple so it’s anchored — not floating. This way the garlic edges catch direct oven heat and turn golden rather than pale and soft.
For the starter, you need one that’s been fed within 8–12 hours and passes the float test — a teaspoon dropped in water should bob, not sink. For garlic confit, most grocery stores carry it jarred in the deli or antipasto section; if you can’t find it, slow-roast a whole head of garlic in olive oil at 250°F (120°C) for 45 minutes. Use a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil — it’s in the dough and on top, so it matters. Flaky sea salt is non-negotiable for the finish.
Sourdough Focaccia with Garlic Confit: Crispy, Airy, Worth Every Hour
8
servings15
minutes28
minutes310
kcal12
hours12
hours43
minutesIngredients
1 cup (240 ml) active sourdough starter (100% hydration, fed 8–12 hrs prior)
1¾ cups (415 ml) warm water (80°F / 27°C)
2 tsp (10 g) fine sea salt
¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan and top
3¾ cups (450 g) bread flour (or all-purpose)
12–15 cloves garlic confit, drained and patted dry
1½ tsp flaky sea salt, for finishing
Directions
- Mix the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the starter, warm water, salt, and olive oil until the starter is fully dissolved — no streaks. Add the flour all at once and mix with a stiff spatula or your hand until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 30 minutes. The dough will look shaggy and rough — that’s exactly right at this stage.
- Stretch and fold. Over the next 2 hours, perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds, spaced 30 minutes apart. Grab one side of the dough, stretch it up without tearing, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat four times per set. By the fourth set, the dough should feel noticeably tighter and spring back when you poke it — that elasticity tells you gluten has developed.
- Bulk ferment, then refrigerate. Leave the covered dough at room temperature until it has grown by about 50–75% (not necessarily doubled). Then transfer to the fridge for at least 8 hours, up to 24. Cold fermentation is where flavor builds — sourdough focaccia fermented 18–24 hours has a noticeably more complex, slightly tangy crumb than an 8-hour version.
- Pan and proof. Generously coat a 9×13 in (23×33 cm) baking pan with 3–4 tablespoons of olive oil. Scrape the cold dough directly into the pan — don’t punch it down. Let it proof at room temperature for 1.5 to 2 hours until it fills the pan and looks puffy. Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) with the rack in the lower third during this final proof.
- Dimple and top. Drizzle 2 more tablespoons of olive oil over the surface, then press your fingers firmly all the way to the pan base to create deep dimples across the entire dough. Press one drained garlic confit clove into each dimple, then scatter flaky salt over the top. You should hear a faint squelch as your fingers hit the pan — if the dough resists and springs back immediately, give it 15 more minutes of proofing.
- Bake. Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 25–28 minutes until the top is a deep amber-gold and the edges have pulled away slightly from the pan sides. At the 20-minute mark, lift one corner with a spatula — the underside should be a toasty brown, not pale. If it’s still blond, move the pan one rack lower for the final minutes.
- Cool on a rack immediately. As soon as the pan comes out, run a spatula around the edges and transfer the focaccia to a wire rack within 5 minutes. Leaving it in the hot pan traps steam underneath and turns that crispy base soft — this one step is the difference between a cracker-crisp bottom and a soggy one.
Variations
**Rosemary and olive:** Swap the garlic confit for a handful of fresh rosemary sprigs and a scatter of halved Castelvetrano olives pressed into the dimples — the olives blister and concentrate beautifully at high heat. **Cheddar and chive:** Press small cubes of sharp aged cheddar into the dimples instead of garlic, finish with snipped fresh chives after baking — a crowd-pleaser that disappears fast at any gathering.
Serving Suggestions
Serve alongside a simple tomato soup — the focaccia soaks up broth without going completely limp, which makes it genuinely useful at the table. A board of burrata, roasted peppers, and good cured meats turns a single slab into a full spread for guests. For weeknight dinners, it works as a side to a big green salad dressed with a sharp vinaigrette.
FAQ
My focaccia bottom is soft and pale, not crispy — what went wrong?
Two likely causes: not enough oil in the pan before the dough goes in (you need a generous pool, not a thin smear), or the focaccia cooled inside the pan and trapped steam. Use at least 3 tablespoons of oil to coat the pan, and transfer to a wire rack within 5 minutes of coming out of the oven.
Can I make this without leaving it overnight?
Yes — skip the fridge and let the dough bulk ferment at room temperature until it has grown by 75–100%, which takes 4–6 hours depending on your kitchen temperature and starter strength. The crumb will be slightly less open and the flavor milder, but the texture is still very good. A starter that was fed 6–8 hours before mixing will move faster.
Can I use instant yeast instead of sourdough starter?
You can — replace the starter with 1 teaspoon (3 g) of instant yeast and increase the water by ½ cup (120 ml) to compensate for the lost hydration. The dough will be ready to bake in 3–4 hours total with no overnight rest needed. The result is lighter and milder, which makes you wonder: what else could you put on top to make it your own?
